I'm going to miss Summer. A lot.

I've LOVED it and it will be gone all too soon.

Watching my water-babies in the pool. Wearing flip flops & sunglasses. Tank tops & shorts. Driving with the car windows and sunroof down. Sonic slushes. Grilling a LOT. Summer produce. Garage Sales. Camping & playing on the lake. Being TAN!

The smell of coconut EVERYTHING. Sunblock. Coffee Creamer. Bath & Body Spray.

The idea of living somewhere where it's warm all the time is appealing. QUITE appealing.

But I DO love living here.

Experiencing the change of the seasons. The weather is relatively mild and beautiful. Yes..there's beauty even on those rainy days...

I know that once Indian Summer passes, I'll be ready to don my scarves and cardigans again. Occasional galoshes.And then my boots and parkas. Occasional galoshes. Then galoshes for a few months. Then flip flops again. AND occasional galoshes. It IS Oregon, afterall!

As with everything.. each day and the weather it brings should be savored. Appreciated for what it is. The potential of what's to come. It is what we make it, isn't it?

Make certain you take this day and make the MOST of it. Rain or shine.

XOXO

~S

New Cinnamon Roll Recipe!

I was given a new CINNAMON ROLL recipe to try out..touted to reign supreme above all others. Well...they WERE pretty tasty but I'd tweak things a bit next go 'round. And let's face it..there WILL be another go 'round, likely sooner than later! This family LOVES cinnamon rolls!

First, I'd go with a dough from scratch. The recipe calls for a hot roll boxed mix. Easy but just not. the. same. Ya know? There's nothing like slowly building the ingredients and that yeasty smell...

I had to make a caramel sauce for the base of the pan and I've never done this before. It made for a slightly gooey bottom to the rolls. I'm persnickety and not sure I like the texture of that optimally. Think I might cut the caramel recipe in half for less sauce on the bottom and see how that goes.




Then we have the adding of other key ingredients.. I used some Penzey's Chinese Cassia Cinnamon instead of generic (my norm). I'd scored several brand new Penzey spices at a garage sale a month or so ago, and boy- is this cinnamon delicious!! SUCH flavor! I didn't expect much of a difference but I was pleasantly surprised.



After the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon were GENEROUSLY spread over the dough- I rolled it up then used my weapon of choice to slice off each roll... floss. I would recommend you use UNflavored floss for this. Bubble gum or mint flavor just doesn't jive in this case. Now the rolls rise for a little bit... you could go ahead and floss your teeth while you wait...recycle, reuse and all that...





Lovingly put in the oven and keep peeking in on the rolls as they rise and turn golden.
Set out to cool and make an icing to pour over while the rolls are still warm. I'd add more cream cheese to this next time too.. I didn't taste it as I put the ingredients together and was too eager to dig into a roll, I guess. Next time I'll give a taste or two until it truly tastes like Cinnabon-style, as I like that best!



Here's the recipe in case you'd like to try it yourself! They ARE pretty tasty!

OOEY GOOEY CINNAMON ROLLS

1 box Pillsbury hot roll mix
1 T. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
cinnamon
1/2 c. brown sugar
chopped nuts, optional

Caramel Sauce:
1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. vanilla ice cream

Icing:
1 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. milk

Melt 1/3 c. butter, add 1/2 c. brown sugar and vanilla ice cream in saucepan. Bring to boil, then cook additional 2 minutes. Pour caramel in 9x13 pan to coat bottom. Make hot roll mix according to instructions, and use the side cinnamon roll recipe on the side of the box. After kneading, roll into a ball and let rise for 5 minutes under a warm bowl. Roll out dough in large rectangle and spread softened butter over dough. Follow with crumbling of brown sugar and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Roll up and cut into rolls. Place rolls on top of caramel in pan, let rise for 45 minutes. Bake at 350 (the roll mix box says 375 but I went with the recipes 350degrees) degrees for 20-25 minutes. Top with icing while still warm! DIG. IN.

If you try it, let me know what you think!

XOXO
~S

I seem to be really faltering at this blog thing as of late.

hmmm.

Lots swirling in my mind and I have many pictures but I just can't seem to get back into the swing of things where blogging is concerned.

Maybe in a few weeks I'll have a clearer head.

I'm consumed with VBS and Ebay at the moment.

Exciting stuff, I know!! *laugh*

And it seems that's all I mention when I *do* post.

How BORING!!

Maybe I should go wordless....

Just pictures.

Or maybe I just need to come back and post only when I have something of interest to share.

Prepare for LOOOOONNNNG gaps, then!

XOXO

~S

pondering.

I'm a blog-addict.

I think they've replaced my magazine addiction.

I think I've said that before.

I think I've received more than one virus due to my blog-surfing.

I think there's a blog out there for every interest and lifestyle- which intrigues me.

I think I should try and make EVERY sentence in this blog entry start with "I"...or "I think"..so far so good.

I think I've been a bad blogger lately.

I think that there are a lot of blogs out there that put me in a good mood, inspire me, motivate me, make me think, and lately, aggrivate me.

I think I'm easily aggrivated lately but that's beside the point.

I think blogs are fabulous fun but I think I prefer ones that are gritty and REAL over the perfection, ya know?

I think I appreciate seeing the flux of life in those real blogs- the good days, the fabulous days and then SO horrible they type in all caps "yelling" or in run-on-sentences without proper punctuation..with pics of the aftermath. Or better yet, DURING the disaster.

I like that they're candid and unafraid to say "my kids are adorable but they're driving me up the wall- someone come take them away..but bring 'em back in one piece or you'll answer for it" and show their mountains of laundry waiting to be folded & put away (those are my FAVORITE).

I think (I really KNOW, I just don't want to mess up- I'm on a roll...) there was a time where I wanted everything on my blog to be pretty and light-hearted. Lovely pictures, encouraging words, profound thoughts, etc.etc. And I wouldn't post much if I didn't have those things to give.

I think instead of posting whenever I have something pretty or witty to say...I'll just post when I feel like it.

I think I'll like my blog better that way. Pretty yet disheveled. Occasionally disorganized and rumpled- but still likeable.

With pretty pictures.


XOXO
~S

don't i wish

photo via ohdeedoh

Curled up in a rocking chair (my dream version IS this Eames molded plastic rocker--wanted one for a long.long.LONG time), with a good book and not a care in the world.
I'd love it, wouldn't you??
Back to my TO DO list....

XOXO
~S

Content

Feeling very content today. Inspired by the littlest things-- like the color sitting on my counter top this morning after doing up some dishes.

Keeping busy with day-to-day things...
*Flylady Mission (doing the bathrooms and the office this week)
*Ebay
*Tidying up/organizing/purging this place. Does this ever end?? I think not.
*Working out again. Getting back on track, thank goodness.

Thinking of things coming up in the near future.
*family 4th of July Reunion
*Birthdays/Anniversarys
*VBS
*Sunday School changes
*prepping for a new year of school. Yes, this year just ended & I'm brainstorming for '09/10!

And a word to you, my friends...
Take a moment to recognize the abundance of blessings around you today and thank Him for them!

XOXO
~S

coolness.

I sure dig my kids.
They're just the cutest, coolest thing in my life!
We have the most fun..









XOXO
~S